Reds			Whites
Cabernet Sauvignon	420		Bordailles Blanc	30
Cabernet/Merlot	90		Chardonnay	240
Chianti	30		Chardonnay/Semillon	60
Coteau Sur Mer	60		French Columbard	30
Merlot	90		Gewurtzrtraminer	30
Pinot Noir	90		Johannisberg Riesling	60
Red Bourgeron	60		Pinot Grigio	120
Rosso GrandeT	30		White Zinfandel	60
Shiraz	90
Zinfandel	90
Total	1050			630

As you can see, I prefer red wines to white and I really enjoy a good Cabernet. My wife enjoys most of the reds, but prefers the whites, especially the Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay. You will also notice that I have also made a number of different wines, both red and white and here is what I have discovered.

If you like a full-bodied wine, you can not go wrong with the traditional favorites, the Cabernet Sauvignon or the Chardonnay. I will warn you that you really need to let these age at least 6 months. These wines just need more time to develop and soften. I have compared the taste of these wine bottled at the end of the kit instructions to aged bottles and it is totally amazing how they improve with even several months of additional aging. If you can show some patience and allow these wines to age a year, the wait will be worth it.

For wines with more of a fruity sensation, try the Merlot, Cabernet Merlot, Red Bourgeron, Gewurtzrtraminer or White Zinfandel. These wines have a very nice, mellow taste with a definite fruity character. They are good with a meal or by themselves. I have found that these wines are ready for drinking after only 2 months of additional aging.

A good mix between the full-bodied wines and the fruity wines are the Chianti, Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Zinfandel, Chardonnay/Semillon, French Columbard and Johannisberg Riesling. These wines offer a stronger "bite", but one can still taste the underlying fruit. These wines do well with only 1 month of additional aging.

If you are looking for a "fun" wine that is ready to drink without aging, try the Coteau Sur Mer, Pinot Grigio or Bordailles Blanc. These wines don't have a lot of body and, as such, do not require aging. My personal favorite in this bunch is the Pinot Grigio. It is also the second most requested by my friends. These are my wife's 3 favorite wines! I will also tell you that the Bordailles Blanc was the hit of my wine tastings.

The last wine is the Rosso Grande. It is a "Big Red" based on the Italian grapes. This wine is not for the faint of heart. It has a very bold taste that is best consumed with a plate of spaghetti. It needs several months to age, maybe longer. I still have about 20 bottles that I am allowing to bottle age, just to see if it soften some more.

As to which kits are better, I will honestly say that you cannot go wrong with a Vino Del Vida kit. They produce excellent flavors. These kits; howeve, don't have as much body, as the premium kits. This is due to the fact that these kits are 100% concentrate and the concentration process removes some of the solids from the juice and the solids are responsible for the body of a wine.

When you step up to a Grand Cru, you start to get a little juice with the juice concentrate. This addition of fresh juice not only improves the flavor but adds some body to your wine. The next step up to Cru Select and Cellar Classic gives you more fresh juice and, as a result, more body.

As you can see, the choices are really based on what you like. You cannot go wrong with any kit, so my recomendation is to go to your liquor store and buy different varieties. Try them, decide with ones you like the best and then order the kit.

Regarding aging your wine, I strongly suggest that you age your wine in the carboy. Do I make this recomendation for improving the taste of your wine? No. Do I make this recomendation for improving the body of your wine? No. I make this recomendation for the simple reason is that once you bottle the wine, it is fair game to drink and I guarantee that your good intentions will be consumed before its time!